Dumb question regarding Ethernet cables

[xtr650]

Probably a really stupid question but couldn't hurt to ask. Can anyone recommend a good brand cat 6 cable or do they all pretty much preform the same. Is 'gold plated' worth it or just a marketing gimmick.

 

Thanks lads.

[Oshino Shinobu]

As long as they're not super super cheap, they're all mostly the same. Unless you're needing shielded cables, you don't need to worry too much

 

Gold plated is marketing nonsense, the internal wire that actually conducts the signal is still copper. 

 

EDIT: CAT rating does matter though. CAT5 and CAT6 will support different speeds. 

[themctipers]

it either works or it doesn't, gold plated is gimmick 

 

if you really need cat6, you should have cat6 compatible devices that can use the 10Gb, so if it's a scam it would only do 1Gb, while if it is real cat6 it will do 10Gbit (short distance)

[xtr650]

7 minutes ago, Oshino Shinobu said:

As long as they're not super super cheap, they're all mostly the same. Unless you're needing shielded cables, you don't need to worry too much

 

Gold plated is marketing nonsense, the internal wire that actually conducts the signal is still copper. 

 

EDIT: CAT rating does matter though. CAT5 and CAT6 will support different speeds. 

 

6 minutes ago, themctipers said:

it either works or it doesn't, gold plated is gimmick 

 

if you really need cat6, you should have cat6 compatible devices that can use the 10Gb, so if it's a scam it would only do 1Gb, while if it is real cat6 it will do 10Gbit (short distance)

Thanks for the information guys. And only reason I'm considering cat 6 is due to my isp adding 1gb download soon, so wanted to prepare a little. I bought a Netgear C6300 Modem to upgrade from the POS we've been renting.

 

So if were not getting 10GB download, cat6 is pointless? Just wanted something the most stable connection.

[themctipers]

2 minutes ago, xtr650 said:

 

Thanks for the information guys. And only reason I'm considering cat 6 is due to my isp adding 1gb download soon, so wanted to prepare a little. I bought a Netgear C6300 Modem to upgrade from the POS we've been renting.

 

So if were not getting 10GB download, cat6 is pointless?

yes, since cat5/5e can do gigabit, while cat6 can do gigabit AND 10 gigabit via short distance. 

You're at the speed limit of 5/5e, but not fast enough to require 10. If nothing in your house can do cat6, no point in cat6. 

 

Assuming you mean gigabit network package and it gigabyte. 1GB = 8Gb. 

[Oshino Shinobu]

4 minutes ago, xtr650 said:

 

Thanks for the information guys. And only reason I'm considering cat 6 is due to my isp adding 1gb download soon, so wanted to prepare a little. I bought a Netgear C6300 Modem to upgrade from the POS we've been renting.

 

So if were not getting 10GB download, cat6 is pointless?

Yes and no. Cat5e can do Gigabit, but there's no harm in going for a higher Cat cable so you can support 10Gb in the future, especially if you plan on wiring up the house with it. 

[xtr650]

5 minutes ago, themctipers said:

yes, since cat5/5e can do gigabit, while cat6 can do gigabit AND 10 gigabit via short distance. 

You're at the speed limit of 5/5e, but not fast enough to require 10. If nothing in your house can do cat6, no point in cat6. 

 

Assuming you mean gigabit network package and it gigabyte. 1GB = 8Gb. 

 

2 minutes ago, Oshino Shinobu said:

Yes and no. Cat5e can do Gigabit, but there's no harm in going for a higher Cat cable so you can support 10Gb in the future, especially if you plan on wiring up the house with it. 

Very interesting, does the MHz make any noticable difference? I notice they vary from 250-1000 MHz.

[Oshino Shinobu]

Just now, xtr650 said:

 

Very interesting, does the MHz make any noticable difference? I notice they vary from 250-1000 MHz.

It makes a difference in terms of bandwidth supported. Cat6 at 1Gbps and Cat5e at 1Gbps will be exactly the same. 

[xtr650]

2 minutes ago, Oshino Shinobu said:

It makes a difference in terms of bandwidth supported. Cat6 at 1Gbps and Cat5e at 1Gbps will be exactly the same. 

I take it as the higher the MHz the better?

[Oshino Shinobu]

1 hour ago, xtr650 said:

I take it as the higher the MHz the better?

Technically, yes. Higher MHz generally means it supports a higher bandwidth. 

 

Though going for a cable with a higher MHz won't make a difference to performance, provided both cables support the same or higher bandwidth than the rest of your network infrastructure (in this case, 1Gbps)

[Timotheus2]

Avoid Copper Clad Aluminum (CCA) wires. Full copper is generally better.

 

If you want to use it outside, you might want to get UV resistant cables.

[Donut417]

5 hours ago, xtr650 said:

Probably a really stupid question but couldn't hurt to ask. Can anyone recommend a good brand cat 6 cable or do they all pretty much preform the same. Is 'gold plated' worth it or just a marketing gimmick.

 

Thanks lads.

To my understanding they come in two types Copper and CCA. CCA is an aluminum wire with copper coating. You dont want that. You want full out copper, for best results.